Thread Tales

Idea

Introduction

Thread Tales is an innovative, luxury sustainable fashion brand.

We design and produce hand-woven scarves, travel wraps, cover-ups, wearable blankets and kaftans and pioneer our own unique fabric compositions.

Thread Tales is about the narratives behind an exceptional product. Fashion designer, Katherine Maunder, founded Thread Tales as a reaction to the years she spent working as a designer. Whilst visiting suppliers, she was appalled to see the pressure they were put under to deliver more cheaply, more quickly. She felt that the people involved and the quality of the product were hugely compromised - and nearly three-fifths of these clothes were ending up in incinerators or landfill.

Katherine was inspired to start Thread Tales by her intrepid midwife-mum. Whilst working with a charity in Myanmar she discovered Lotus, possibly one of the most sustainable fabrics in the world. Unique and rare (we are one of few brands with direct access to supply), Lotus became our signature fabric.

Intended impact

Thread Tales’ philosophy; ‘Wear something that Means Something’ drives us to create stunning designs of exceptional quality, without compromise.

We are a purpose-lead business with a KPI to demonstrate that a brand can be both sustainable and synonymous with style. Our aim is to position ourselves in the luxury market to enable us to use quality materials that sell with a high enough margin to succeed in creating a value chain, from decent wages to environmentally and ethically sound product.

Thread Tales design and produce in-line with demand. We have nurtured a personal, collaborative relationship with the Artisans that make our pieces in Nepal, Myanmar and India and we believe the result is an exceptional product made to last.

As recognition of our sustainable credentials we have been awarded the Butterfly Mark by Positive Luxury as a ‘brand to trust’. We source unique sustainable fabrics, offset our freight, use environmentally sound packaging and have a zero waste policy.

Substantial accomplishments to date

• Our products have been featured in the Conduit, Harvey Nichols and at Soho Farmhouse.
• Our pieces are in the Six Senses Hotel Bhutan and Beaverbrook private members club.
• We regularly participate in pop-up events in Tier One locations such as Grace Belgravia, London and Le Pigalle Hotel, Paris. We recognise that the touch/feel experience generates sales and brand exposure.
• We are on the Reve En Vert and Gather and See shopping platforms and are due to join Kool and Konscious when they launch in November.
• We source unusual fabrics to work with, such as Seacell - made from Seaweed and wood. We have pioneered a fabric composition using Lotus, and aim to trademark our fabric name.
• Since our launch in September 2017, we have had just one return.
• During Q2 of 2019, almost 40% of our sales were from repeat customers. We hit our target in our first year and our aim is to more than double our revenue in our 2nd year of sales.
• We have started to develop a following in the US, Netherlands and Germany and aim to appeal worldwide.
• We have been endorsed by the Times, Telegraph, Financial Times and Absolutely Magazine.
• Media personalities and stylists such as Lily Cole, Arabella Greenhill and Jasmine Hemsley have Thread Tales pieces.
• We have influencer endorsements from Sustainably Chic, Sirens and Seaplanes, Eva Ciland and Sabine Turner.

Monetisation strategy

LUXURY. ACCESSORIES. SUSTAINABLE. A CLEAR BUSINESS DECISION

Luxury fashion is expected to be one of the more enduring markets in a time of uncertainty.
Accessories are in the top category for online sales and a driving force in the market with expected growth rates of around 6%.
There is a significant increase in shoppers looking for both ethical and style credentials. Some established companies are bringing emerging sustainable brands into their business as an easier way to organically change their DNA towards being more sustainable, rather than have to totally remodel.
We see responsible innovation in the fashion industry as not just a philanthropic choice but one with clear commercial advantages.

We are customer-focused with an emphasis on direct sales through our e-commerce site and pop-ups, events and press, whom we have built good relationships with.
We have 1357 Instagram followers and plan to focus on building engagement with our brand through social media channels.

Rather than being driven by a bargain, our customers pay a premium for our combination of uniqueness, transparency and craftsmanship and a feel-good tale behind their chosen piece.

Scalability
Our main supplier in Nepal has the infrastructure to support the growth of Thread Tales and we are developing similar partnerships with others. We have ambitions to be a coveted and globally known brand with a far-reaching impact and aim to emulate the success of sustainable brands such as Eileen Fisher (annual sales of around $500 million).

Use of proceeds

Nearly a third of luxury goods are purchased by customers who are travelling, and our most compelling and best-selling products are travel wraps and blankets.

We plan to use funds to develop bespoke pieces for this market. We have an exciting potential partnership with a large luxury hotel chain working on a unique bespoke product to enhance their customer experience in-line with their sustainable policies. We believe that these relationships support both sales and brand recognition.

We also want to develop our bespoke service for the gift market- and in particular corporate reward gifting programmes. We had a recent and significant order from Salesforce and aim to secure more of these relationships.

We also intend to invest in further development of the e-commerce platform. Establishing our digital footprint as a next-generation luxury sustainable brand, is a priority for the continued, long term growth of Thread Tales.

Our team encompasses high-level, industry wide experience and reflects the key expertise required to succeed in this growing market. It includes Elisabetta Casula, former Global VP of Client Services at 24 Sèvres LVMH and a CV that includes Dior, Burberry, Harrods and Moda Operandi, and Oriana Cirocco, Executive Director at Anya Hindmarch. Oriana also brings a wealth of experience having worked at companies such as Burberry and Lanvin. As a team, we are committed to the success of the brand and the welfare of all those that work with us.

We are an emerging brand with big ambitions to be a disruptive player in sustainable luxury fashion, taking part in industry events and debates. We believe that unique products that are both luxurious and sustainable are the future